Wanstead Flats
Jubilee Pond - its history, decay and renovation
Previously known as the Model Yacht Pond or Dames Road Pond; until 2002 stone edged and steep sided, thus having no shallows. It was used for much of the time up to the 1960's for model boating - hence its popular name - but subsequently the pond fell into a state of disrepair, did not retain water and become more of an eyesore than an amenity.
Opening of new Model Yacht Lake, Wanstead Flats, May 30th 1908An Ordnance Survey Map (resurveyed 1893) shows a small pond (photo) with its more northerly end opposite Ramsey Road. Works were undertaken in 1905-6 to improve drainage on Wanstead Flats which included laying surface drains from Leytonstone to this pond. Unemployed labour mainly from West Ham was used to enlarge the pond to its present size, extending it both to the north and south. Surface water using drains in Cann Hall Road and Sidney Road fed into the enlarged pond, which opened in 1908 (photos). Water was also supplied to the pond by means of a ditch from the Cat and Dog Pond just to the north on the Lake House Section of Wanstead Flats and then by pipes beneath Lake House Road. An overflow pipe at the SE corner is shown on later maps with a flow in the direction of Angel Pond (Angell's Pond), across Woodford Road, on the corner of Capel Road. Drainage ditches appear to have become blocked or broken, and the Model Yacht Pond Pond was dredged in the 1980's which may have damaged the pond's lining. These problems led to the very poor condition of the pond until late in 2002 when major renovation work had been completed. This followed a meeting that took place at Cann Hall School when local people were asked what they would like to happen to the pond. It seems that most favoured some form of wildlife lake, with provisions for educating youngsters. Other options included re-establishing it as a model-boating lake or filling it in.
The Lakehouse Lake Project
In August 2000, concerned residents of the area set up the Lakehouse Lake Project, the aim of which was to ensure that the Model Yacht Pond on Wanstead Flats was restored as an amenity. The Conservators of Epping Forest, local boroughs and other interested parties were asked what their plans were for the pond. The Conservators, as managers of the pond on behalf of the Corporation of London, replied that the future of the pond would be decided at a meeting of the Epping Forest and Open Spaces Committee on November 13th 2000.
A petition presented to that committee had over 750 signatures, and was read out at the start of the agenda item. After just 20 minutes the committee voted unanimously to restore the pond as a conservation/education resource, perhaps with islands and viewing stages. The Finance Committee of the Corporation of London met on 28th November 2000 and agreed to finance the restoration. The cost was estimated to be in the region of £442,000. Finally, the Court of Common Council was required to confirm the project, and this was passed on 4th January 2001.
A public meeting was held on 25th January 2001 at the Lord Rookwood public house in Cann Hall Road, E11, with Jeremy Wisenfeld, the Superintendent of Epping Forest at the time, and Sally Hayns, the newly appointed Public Affairs Manager present. Mr Wisenfeld spoke for some time about the Conservators proposals for the future of the pond. Work on the pond was intended to start in March 2002 with completion in the Autumn. Before final decisions were made, however, there would be public consultation on plans and consultation would be ongoing.
The former Model Yacht Pond in February 2001- uncharacteristically with water after heavy rain
At the January meeting, other issues that were raised included what sort of lining the pond should have to retain water. It was thought that puddled clay was preferable to a butyl liner or concrete. Water supply is another important issue - being part of the reason that the lake is often empty. A borehole or mains water supply were the two major options mentioned. Further discussion included car parking, litter, fly tipping, the fairground (which is nearby), toilet facilities and a new name for the lake. It was suggested that there might be some elevated landscaping using the waste broken concrete from the existing pond to shield it from the fair and as an attractive feature, although some felt that it was important to retain the open and low aspect of the pond and Wanstead Flats. A suggestion was made that it should be retained as a model yacht pond, but Mr Wisenfeld said that the Corporation of London did not want a sterile pond such as would be necessary for sailing boats. The problem of pollution caused by the overfeeding of geese and ducks was under consideration, and the provision of advisory and warning notice-boards was mentioned.
A further public meeting was held on 13th September 2001 at the Lord Rookwood, with Sally Hayns representing the Conservators of Epping Forest. She confirmed that it was proposed to start work on the pond, with completion expected in the autumn of 2002. However, a further public consultation to finalise the details (including a name for the pond - see below) would take place on 6th October. In general, the pond would be for wildlife and education, would have a puddled clay lining, and would be fed by preferably a borehole or if that were not possible, from the mains water supply.
A name for the pond
The pond has for long been known as either Dames Road Pond or the Model Yacht Pond. Suggestions that it could be called Lakehouse Lake were rejected. Nearby Lake House Road gets its name from a lake that once existed where now stands the Lake House estate. The "Lake House" (called the Russian Farm) was a building on an island of this lake where at one time the poet Thomas Hood lived. To transfer the name to Dames Road Pond would, then, have been historically incorrect and confusing.
In February 2002, Jeremy Wisenfeld announced that it had been decided to call the pond "Jubilee Pond", to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, and in the late spring extensive work was begun to transform the pond into its new form. This work was completed by the spring of 2003, save for the tree and shrub planting. The old car parking area adjacent to Lake House Road was re-positioned slightly to the east, and an Epping Forest notice board with information about the pond and its wildlife was erected nearby.
The pond was officially opened by the Chairman of the Epping Forest and Open Spaces Committee, Christine Cohen and Harry Cohen MP, on Saturday 12 June 2003, with a gathering of about 100 local residents.
Jubilee Pond - layout
Jubilee Pond is fed by ground water extracted from a borehole descending 65m into the underlying chalk. It has a puddle clay liner to encourage aquatic plant life. Lying in a NW/SE direction it is approximately 212m long by 66m wide with a maximum depth of 1.2m. Near the south-eastern corner of the pond is a sluice to prevent it overflowing.
The pond has three islands, a large peninsular and two outlying, low mounds. For convenience the islands have been unofficially named: from north to south, Pigeon Island, Centre Island and South Island.
Recent issues
In 2005 the pond was found to be loosing water at what seemed an excessive rate. In order to ascertain the cause of this and to plan for a repair - if this was required - it was regrettably decided to allow the pond's water level to drop. Just as the pond was begin to develop into an attractive and good wildlife habitat, local people and visitors once again had the prospect of a muddy hollow. Much of the work by Corporation staff and members of the Lakehouse Lake Project in establishing reed-beds had been wasted.
Jubilee Pond in January 2005By November 2006, it still remained uncertain whether the pond was actually leaking, or whether the loss of water was due to evaporation and lack of rainfall. It was certain that the edges of the pond had deteriorated, and it seemed likely that water was being lost here. During 2013 and 2014 a lot of work was undertaken to remedy this. The pond was re-lined and pipes were installed on the fairground site to drain surface water into the pond, helping to maintain water levels without additional extraction from the aquifer. (source: City of London website) More mesh was laid in the spring of 2014 to reinforce the banks of the pond following heavy rain. (source: City of London website). This work meant that almost all of the vegetation that had become established was lost, and - with the help of seeding and planting by volunteers - the process began again.
For a review of the wildlife of the pond and its surrounds, click here
For a background to the Jubilee Pond project by the Lakhouse Lake Group, click here
Alexandra Lake, Wanstead Flats
The lake is known locally as the Sandhills Pond on account of the sandy nature of its banks and the two low hills on the southern and western banks. It is the largest of the open waters on Wanstead Flats. Its proper name of Alexandra Lake is after Queen Alexandra (1844-1925) the queen-consort of King Edward VII, in whose reign the lake was dug. (see photos)
Alexandra Lake - June 2000
In "The Lake System of Wanstead Park & The Mystery of The Heronry Pond" by James Berry & Alan Cornish, dated March 1978, it is suggested that Alexandra Lake was dug sometime around 1906/7. This was in an effort to control flooding which took place from time to time in the vicinity of Wanstead Park Avenue and Aldersbrook Road. Other work was going on at the time to enhance the flow of water into the Heronry Pond in Wanstead Park, and a solution was to have the necessary work carried out by unemployed men under the control of the West Ham Distress Committee.
Origins of the Lake
In order to cure the problem of the Aldersbrook Road having cut off the natural drainage of Wanstead Flats at this point down a narrow valley running north-east to to the River Roding (i.e. now within the City of London Cemetery), Alexandra Lake was dug. There is an overflow system in its north-east corner, near Aldersbrook Road. It is suggested by James Berry & Alan Cornish that this might lead into Perch Pond in Wanstead Park by means of a drain via Wanstead Park Avenue, but I believe that the drain follows something of the original natural drainage route through the City of London Cemetery, but now underground, and hence may be considered to be the source of the Alders Brook.
Subsequent Improvements
A year or so after the lake was dug, it was apparent that not enough water was available to fill the excavation adequately. The lake was dug deeper so that sub-surface water could be accessed and a system of drains (photos) were installed to channel surface water from the Aldersbrook Road into the lake. This certainly had some effect, because before long the lake was a source of pleasure to many local people.
Water Loss and the Repair in 1992
During the late 1980's the lake had shown problems with a tendency to almost dry up during the summers. Late in 1992 the lake was dredged of accumulated silt in an attempt to access standing water (i.e. beneath the surface of Wanstead Flats). This necessitated removing the fish stock - or at least those that hadn't perished in the abominable conditions during the summer of 1992 when many died. The lake is also used by many wild birds - swans, ducks, geese, coot and moorhen as well as others. The truly wild birds were able to make use of other waters, but many escaped birds - domestic ducks and geese - became sick and died.
Disposal of Dredgings
The silt from the dredgings were disposed of in a most inappropriate manner. A relatively small amount was tipped at the western end of the lake as a sort of beach. It was supposed to be an amenity but is in fact an eyesore. Even worse, much was tipped on the lower of the lake's two islands - the island referred to locally as Flat Island! It is no longer that; whereas it once provided a habitat for nesting wildfowl, now much of it is a tangled bramble waste. Worse still, an enormous amount of silt was tipped onto Wanstead Flats adjacent to an open hawthorn woodland to the east of the lake. This has totally changed the character of the Flats in this area, inhibiting the views across. No attempt was made even to landscape the tip - it was just allowed to dry out as a corrugated, virtually inaccessible, eyesore.
Drainage
The work was otherwise successful. The lake retained a better volume of water at most times, and the wildfowl gradually returned. I had been pointing out for years that there had once been surface water drainage from Aldersbrook Road to help top-up the waters. Remains of the drains in the form of ceramic pipes could still be seen between the road and the lake and very obviously there was a gutter drain in Aldersbrook Road - but my claims were usually denied. Eventually it seems, somebody read the history, and eventually the gutter drain was cleaned out and new pipes were installed leading into the north-east corner of the lake. The original ceramic pipes could still be identified in 2002, in the form of broken pieces mixed with the gravel of the lake edge, but also still in their original situation. Interestingly, this was now within the root system of one of the London plane trees that line the road here. Presumably the drains were laid and the trees were planted at about the same time, but a little too closely. The increasing girth of the tree eventually encased the drain. (see photographs - click here)
Flooding in 2001
A 101 bus encounters Alexandra Lake on 25 March, 2001
With the lake now much better able to withstand dryer weather, another problem presented itself. In March 2001, heavy rainfall caused flooding in many parts of the country. Locally, the Aldersbrook Road by Wanstead Park Avenue was flooded by the waters of Alexandra Lake overflowing to more than halfway across the road at its worse. The problem arose because the overflow drains from the lake, which are situated quite close to the newly installed drains into the lake (although of course at a lower level) had become blocked. Once these were cleared and renovated - by which time the rains had subsided anyway - the waters went down.
Early in 2003, a ditch was dug across the rough grassland south of the lake as far as the playing fields, and then west some few hundred meters across the playing fields. This was apparently to try to improve drainage from the flats, which - as has been stated - are very prone to shallow flooding. The ditch is intended to deposit the water into Alexandra Lake and so help to maintain its level. The ditch was contoured so as to provide some interest, and crossing places were provided because it is a substantial barrier to what had been an open passage across the Flats. As well, the course of the ditch across the rough grassland followed the route of an old but useful track (probably associated originally with the prefabs that had been here). In the process, the track became unusable and the plants that grew alongside it (on slightly raised banks) were destroyed. These included the only patch of Heather (Calluna vulgaris) known on this part of the Flats.
Also in 2003, the gently sloping gravel "beach" (which can be seen in the photograph below) was modified so that a steeper bank was created at the waters edge. Presumably this was to prevent the accumulation of mud in that bay of the lake. The effect was to block the the inflow from the drain on Aldersbrook road, so that after a heavy rainfall in late September 2005, Aldersbrook Road was once again flooded so that water actually went into the shops. This was when the lake was so dry it was possible to walk dryfoot across to one of the islands! The ditch mentioned above has hardly ever seen water in it, and by 2009 the view of the lake from Aldersbrook Road had been almost obliterated by the vegetation that was now growing where the beach had been.
Excess Bird Feeding
Slices and loaves of bread left by Alexandra Lake - May 2001
The death of birds using the lake during 1992 was partially due to the increased levels of toxins in the lake caused by a persistent problem - that of overfeeding. A car park close to the lake's west end encourages people to visit, and of course many bring "food for the ducks". This pleasant pastime is one of the reasons for the vast flock of Canada geese which nowadays - in greater or lesser numbers - are a permanent feature. Many people, however, do not seem to realize that they are not the only ones providing food during the course of the day, nor have any awareness of the amount which is sensible to provide. It is extremely common to see people alight from their cars, walk to the waters edge (or even not that far) and tip carrier bag loads of food on the banks or into the water. It is not always bread - colourful concoctions of Asian foods are common, with lots of rice. The vast numbers of birds present at times - particularly geese, feral pigeons and in the winter, gulls - sometimes can't cope, and the food is left to rot. It is not uncommon to see uneaten bread in the water developing a blue bloom. The rat population at the north edge of the lake - in the woods and opposite the shops of Aldersbrook Road - flourish and try to help devour the stuff - but occasionally the water gets into a very bad state. Suggestions over the years to the Corporation of London that some form of advice to visitors about excessive bird-feeding should be provided went unheeded until some publicity began to be put out in about October 2002. Now (in 2004) there is a nice notice board with information about the lake and its wildlife, and also some signage attempting to inform people about the problems of overfeeding.
Litter Problems
Candles, coconuts, clothing, brooms, fruit, a basket and boxes left as part of religious ritual - February 2005In addition to the excess bird food, ordinary litter also presents a problem. In fact, it is quite common for the plastic bags and bin-liners used to carry the food to lake are also left there! The photograph above shows one of a number of litter bins provided by the Corporation of London (they were originally used in the City of London until bomb-scares forced their removal), and at least some visitors used them. The problem was that they were open-topped. If it was windy - and the wind can blow quite strongly across the openness of the Flats - those bins particularly by the car park at the west end of the lake by Aldersbrook Road were soon losing the litter deposited in them and much of the lighter material ended up in the lake. In mid-June 2002, the litter bins in the vicinity of the lake were removed.
Another peculiar problem arises from what is presumably a religious ritual that is frequently carried out by Alexandra Lake. This involves the depositing of candles, coconuts and fruit adjacent to and in the lake. At times - as can be seen in the photograph - carrier bags and even the boxes that the candles were brought in are left by the lake, as well as clothing material.
The football games that take place particularly at weekend, but also during weekdays when numerous practise sessions take place either officially or unofficially, are often an unfortunate source of even more litter. Both the players in their break and after the session and spectators too tend to leave a selection of material including many plastic bottles after they leave. Epping Forest staff and indeed some local residents are good at dealing with this after the event but the costs involved in doing so, and the cost to the environment and to the visual enjoyment of the Flats, means that a way of dealing more effectively with the problem of litter should perhaps be dealt with more at the source.
Paul Ferris